The conventional slide gate assembly comprises a frame adapted to be secured to a retaining wall or the like, the frame including guide means adapted to slidably mount a slide for movement between opened and closed positions, the slide normally being movable vertically from one position to the other by mechanical lifting means, such as a threaded lift stem and handwheel. In some installations, particularly those intended for light duty, the slide simply seats against the adjoining surfaces of the frame, which forms a seat for the slide, the face pressure on the slide when closed forming an effective seal between the marginal edges of the slide and the frame. In some instances the seating surfaces are machined to improve tightness. In installations wherein a greater degree of water tightness is desired, the frame is provided with a series of adjustable wedges which, when the slide is closed, act to wedge the slide into tight engagement with the frame.
Various other expedients also have been proposed to enhance the water tightness of slide gates, including the use of mating bronze sealing surfaces and various types of non-metallic sealing members, such as rubber gaskets. Expansible and contractable sealing members responsive to fluid pressure have also been employed.
Each of the foregoing expedients, while enhancing the water tightness, has presented various problems. Where wedges are employed, they add considerably to the cost of the gate assembly and require adjustment to insure the desired tight engagement between the seating surfaces. Where non-metallic resilient sealing members are utilized, considerable difficulty has been experienced by reason of the slide cutting or shearing the sealing member as the slide is opened and closed, and in other instances the movement of the slide acts to roll the sealing member out of the grooved seat in which it is mounted.
The present invention deals with the provision of improved sealing means in the form of resilient sealing members which are mounted in such a way that they will not be sheared by the slide or rolled from the grooves in which they are mounted.